FamilySearch
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Use it: it is genuinely free with a deep record archive and the largest single family tree online.
Comparison
FamilySearch vs MyHeritage
FamilySearch lands on Worth it, and MyHeritage lands on Depends.
MyHeritage
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Reasonable for casual family-tree builders and DNA curiosity, especially European ancestry . but keep a close eye on auto-renewals.
| Compare | FamilySearch | MyHeritage |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Depends |
| Best for | Budget-conscious genealogists | Casual family-tree builders |
| Who it's not for | Anyone wanting a private, locked-down family tree | Anyone privacy-cautious about DNA data . 92M accounts leaked |
| Privacy | One confirmed 2022 breach, disclosed ~7 months late; MFA added from 2023; no other known issues.⁹ | Breached: 92.3M user credentials exposed (disclosed 2018); one old client-side CVE. |
| Support quality | No reliable support-quality evidence found | Billing disputes dominate complaint threads |
| Public sentiment | Sentiment is polarized: users praise the free records but frequently slam the interface, shared-tree edits, and site behavior.⁸ | Opinion is split: hobbyist genealogists find value in it, while a loud segment of users complain about billing, renewals, and pricing. |
| Biggest gotcha | Anyone can edit deceased ancestors on the shared tree; no private tree option⁴ | Auto-renewal traps: users report unexpected renewal charges, including a $149 BBB complaint |
Pick FamilySearch when
- Budget-conscious genealogists
- Record hunters across global archives
- LDS Church members
- Hobbyists tolerant of a clunky UI
When FamilySearch is not a fit
- Anyone wanting a private, locked-down family tree
- Privacy-critical users who cannot tolerate breach history
- Beginners needing a slick, guided experience
- Users unwilling to learn documented quirks
Pick MyHeritage when
- Casual family-tree builders
- Hobbyist genealogists chasing European records
- DNA relative and adoption searches
- Ethnicity-estimate curiosity
When MyHeritage is not a fit
- Anyone privacy-cautious about DNA data . 92M accounts leaked
- Serious US-focused genealogists . Ancestry's records run deeper
- One-time testers unwilling to pay recurring subscriptions for record access
- Anyone who resents auto-renewal billing . complaints are everywhere
Sources
- Does FamilySearch charge subscription fees?familysearch.orgofficial
- About FamilySearch . Free to Allfamilysearch.orgofficial
- Is FamilySearch A Better Site Than Ancestry? 2026familyhistoryfoundation.comreview
- 3 Reasons Not to Use the FamilySearch Family Treefamilyhistoryfanatics.comreview
review
- FamilySearch is a joke : r/Genealogyreddit.comreview
review
security
- FamilySearch Account Data Incidentfamilysearch.orgsecurity
- The Importance of Security at FamilySearch (MFA)familysearch.orgsecurity
- NGS Recommends…17 Important Free Websitesngsgenealogy.orgnews
- Which Genealogy Giants website is best for me?lisalouisecooke.comreview
- MyHeritage official sitemyheritage.comofficial
- MyHeritage pricing pagemyheritage.comofficial
- 855 MyHeritage Reviews . PissedConsumermyheritage.pissedconsumer.comreview